Rough Road Leads to the Stars
by Eternally Summer
Summary: I am completely head over heels and out of this world in love. Nothing matters to me anymore, only her...But then I remember I'm the Alpha of the pack, and lately their needs have been conflicting with mine. If only life could be on my side for once.
1. I'm Tired of These Nagging Thoughts

Hello, and welcome to my first fan fiction! It's Jake and Nessie, of course, because for some reason I absolutely love them, haha. This is the first chapter, obviously, so it's more like an introduction to the characters and the situation Jake's in. The title "Rough Road Leads to the Stars" is also the title of a song by Promise of Redemption (if you're familiar with Valencia, it's a side project of lead singer Shane Henderson...the music is so beautiful, I definitely recommend it) and I chose it because it basically defines everyone's journey, specifically Jake's, throughout this story (not the song, but the actual title itself).

I hope you all enjoy this! All criticism is welcomed because I am looking to make a career out of writing, and there's no opportunity for improvement if you don't know what there is to improve =) Also, I'm such a fashion nut, so if you ever want to see any pictures of what Nessie is wearing, feel free to ask. I have it all saved, haha.

Disclaimer: I don't, in any way, have any rights to _Twilight_. It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own the title, "Rough Roads Leads to the Stars." It belongs to Shane Henderson of Promise of Redemption.

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Rough Road Leads to the Stars

by Eternally Summer

Chapter One: I'm Really Getting Tired of These Nagging Thoughts

I run through the woods, branches and twigs snapping under my heavy weight, with my mind fixated on only one thing. This thing is what completes my existence, it's my reason for living. People who don't know me would probably say I'm obsessed, granted that this thing is the only thought on my mind twenty four-seven, and maybe I could be labeled that if my situation was controllable, but that's not the case...it's completely _un_controllable. Not that I mind, of course, because right now I don't want it any other way.

I am literally running for my life, the one thing I can't live a day without (and I haven't, for the past six years, give or take a few days). As I get closer and closer, I feel the emptiness in my stomach begin to fill. Running towards it feels almost effortless, as if I'm being reeled in by a big fishing pole (I'm the farthest creature from a fish, that's for sure, but I couldn't help using the analogy). Every giant _thump_ my limbs make when they collide with the hard forest floor is now drowned out by a musical sound I've had permanently sealed in my brain since the first time I ever heard it. I can clearly hear it in my head, almost as if it was merely a few feet away, and then I begin to smell it too. Part of it is a scent that I once loved to hate, but it's mixed with something so refreshing and unidentifiable that if it was the only thing I could smell for the rest of my life, my nostrils would be happy. And that's saying something because my nose is _really_ sensitive.

It all becomes so overwhelming now. The music is ringing in my ears, the scent is pleasurably burning in my nose. I feel as if I can't take it anymore, so I pick up my pace until I see a figure emerge from behind a tree, a little less than a hundred yards away from me.

"Jake!"

I stop dead in my tracks. Part of me wants to run to her, to just gather her in my arms and never let go, but then I remember I'm not human at the moment. I quickly turn around and once behind a thick group of trees, I allow my body to distort itself back into its natural form. I hastily slip on one of my favorite pairs of cut-off denim shorts that were formerly tied to my ankle, along with a pair of old ratty sneakers. I ruffle my hair a bit in an attempt to look somewhat decent, then turn around and hurry to her.

Like always, she doesn't move. Instead she simply leans against the trunk of a tree, her whiter-than-white smile lighting up the dim forest. She's wearing a white dress, the hem of it stopping at about the middle of her thigh, and her copper hair flows down her back in soft, loose curls, ending a little before her elbow. Even with the sun blocked by the canopy of trees covering the forest, she still shines up the wooded area. Out of all the words in the English language, the ones 'flawless,' 'perfect,' 'beautiful,' and 'mesmerizing' can't even come close to describing how she appears in my eyes. My heart feels like it's beating faster than the speed of light, and even though we're not standing directly next to each other yet, I know she can hear it. As I close the distance between us she steps off the roots of the tree, barefoot as usual, and the gap disappears. A melodic laugh escapes from her lips as she throws her arms around my neck, my own instinctively encircling around her waist.

"Hey Ness," I whisper.

"Hey there, Jake," she says back to me. Her voice is like a pair of wind chimes; breezy and melodious, light and contagious.

I want to stand this way forever, just gazing into her eyes and holding her close to me, until reality gives me a nice blow in the ass as she unwraps her arms from around my neck and steps back, causing me to reluctantly draw mine back to my sides. "Ready to eat? I'm starving!"

Yup. I get all hyped up and romantic just to go hunting. That's how much this girl affects me. Simply going hunting with her makes me all mushy inside. It's pathetic.

It's always this way for me though. I'm Jacob, the best friend, never anything more. Might as well have it written out in blinking neon lights that hover over my head all day.

"Sure, sure," I say, following her as we begin to tread deeper into the woods. She looks at me questioningly. "Did you smell anything good on your way here?"

I shrug. "Nothing in particular. It seems pretty quiet today, but if we head north I'm sure we'll find something."

Nodding, she begins to lengthen her stride to stay in step with me. Normally at this point I would propose some kind of race to see who could catch a good kill the fastest, but for some reason I'm not up to it today. I think the realization of the fact that Nessie sees me as nothing more than her best friend with whom she likes to play games, do homework, and hunt finally hits me. Talk about romantic. For a slight instance, when Nessie had her arms around my neck and mine were so yearningly wrapped around her tiny waist, I thought there was possibly something more. I thought that maybe there was hope for me, for us, and that I wouldn't get my heart broken a second time. Sure, the first time I suffered heartbreak (by her own _mother_, how ironic is that?) I knew it was something I never wanted to experience again for the rest of my days. At that point I thought there was nothing that was going heal it. Once I told myself that things couldn't possibly get any worse, my life was literally turned upside down and sent in all different directions by a baby girl named Renesmee Carlie Cullen, and things got unbelievably better. One look into those enchanting brown eyes, and something inside of me snapped. All the ties that I had, everything that was binding me to all of the important forces in my life suddenly converged into one and pulled me towards a person who was only a few hours old. That's all it took for me to commit my life to providing this wonderful girl protection, happiness, and in my case, eternal love.

Nessie senses that there's something wrong. She always does. She innocently takes my hand and asks me in her special way if something is bothering me. I shake my head, trying to reassure her that it's nothing. "I'm fine, just didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

_Is there anything you need to talk about?_ she asks, sending her thoughts from her brain to mine via her hand. Unlike her father, luckily for me, she can't read my mind. _Yeah, but if I do it'll probably ruin everything we have together and I'll regret it for as long as I'm alive_.

As much as I hate life sometimes, I can't be unsatisfied for the fact that I can just _be_ with Nessie. I always need to remind myself that being in her presence alone is something I should be thankful for. The problem is, I selfishly want more of her than I already have. I want to be able to kiss her simply because, and I want to hold her without knowing in the back of my mind that I eventually have to let go before I scare her off. As much as I like to think that because she's my imprint, Nessie could possibly be my destiny too, but now I can't help but think that my destiny is simply unrequited love. Call me a lovesick puppy if you want, but I'll admit I'm completely and hopelessly devoted to her. It's as simple as that. Not only will this likely turn out to be my second heartbreak, this is be something that I can never get over, because my soul is bound to hers forever, no matter how she feels about me in return.

"Nah," I finally answer. "Like I said, I'm just tired. Maybe once I have a good bite to eat I'll get some energy in me."

"That's the spirit!" she laughs. "Daddy said there's probably some good elk around the border so we'll go north, like you suggested."

"Sure, sure," I say for the second time.

Nessie suddenly begins to speed up, clearly initiating a race, and I decide to stop sulking about my thoughts so I can focus. She knows I don't let her down easily when it comes to speed and agility, so I'm all for competing no matter what my mood is. "Oh, so we're gonna race after all?"

She flashes her teeth at me and I can see how two of them are slightly sharper than all the others. Normally I would be thrown off by that, but nothing about her ever throws me off. If anything, it does the complete opposite. "Yeah!" she sings, her legs moving so fast that they practically become a blur. "Are you up for it?"

"Always am," I say before shifting back into the previous form I was in. Once again I can hear the _thump_ing of my limbs as I pound them on the ground, moving with such celerity that everything around me is like a white light. I can hear Nessie laughing as I gain some distance on her (she's a pretty lighthearted loser, never really complains much about it), and that only encourages me to move quicker. You can say I'm doing this simply to impress her, but once I catch a whif of potential prey up ahead, my motivation completely changes.

As I focus in on the stench of the elk, my mind begins to wander to Nessie again. She's known that she's my imprint for a while because her parents decided to tell her about it four years ago, once she began to question why I'm different from others in the family, and why I'm around so much. In the beginning all she really knew was that I'm her best friend and playmate, and that we have a bond no other person in her life can share with her. I was afraid of what her reaction would be when she found out, whether she thought it was weird or creepy or just plain freakish, but she was pretty excited about it; she always referred to me as 'her Jacob' after. Her parents didn't really tell her about it in full detail, but they explained enough so that she understood we have a relationship unlike no other, and that she's extremely special to me. As the years passed by and I watched her grow up at an incredibly accelerated rate, I really can't pinpoint the exact moment when I began to fall in love with her. It was within this past year and a half, I know that much, because up until her mind and body were equivalent to that of a fifteen year old, I strictly only thought of her as my younger sister. When it happened, it kind of just sprang up on me, like a Girl Scout when they knock on your door and you realize, "Oh hey, it's cookie season!" It's something I never expected, something I didn't plan for to happen, but it did.

In the midst of my thoughts, I lose track of Nessie. I can smell her faintly, but I can't tell whether she's ahead of me or behind. I increase the cadence of my steps as I hammer my way through the forest, determined to reach the elk before she does.

_Thanks for the mini soap opera!_ someone scoffs. _If I really wanted to watch one, I could've stayed home and put on the Soap Network!_

I groan to myself. Leah. Of course whenever I get too deep into my thoughts about Nessie, I always forget that I possibly may have an audience. Most of the time I usually do, but it's the worst when it's Leah. She's gotten better over the years with her attitude, but she's still sour toward the Cullens, including Nessie, even though she's only half of what they are. Whenever Leah catches me thinking about her, which is pretty much every single millisecond of day, she's anything but sympathetic to me (not that I want sympathy, but her sarcastic remarks are far from comforting or reassuring).

_Keep your comments to yourself, Leah_, I demand. _We never nagged on you when you thought about Sam all the time, so cut it out and mind your own damn business._ I wince a little bit after I say this, knowing right away that I hit a nerve, but at the same time it's the only thing that's going to shut her up. She growls.

_I second that! _someone chimes in. _Don't worry man, you know I'm pulling for you the whole way_. Great, Seth's listening too. _Yeah, thanks_, I say quickly.

Now the elk's scent is five times stronger than it was a few minutes ago; I know I'm getting closer. I drown out the voices of Seth and Leah, who begin to argue with one another, as my pray comes into view. There's a large herd of them, certainly enough to satisfy Nessie and I. I slow down my pace, careful not to make them stir, and try to remain as quiet as possible. Readying myself in a position to attack, I'm about to go for it when I suddenly feel a gush of wind fly past me.

Nessie, as swiftly as any one of her kind would, springs up behind the elk and lands on its back. She dips her head down and delicately sinks her teeth into its neck, causing the animal to jerk in all directions, a method of defense. It obviously doesn't work because Nessie is draining its life away pretty quickly.

How is it that I can find a vampire (well, half-vampire) sinking its teeth into an animal and sucking its blood so...beautiful? If someone a few years ago told me I would be thinking this way in the future, I would've probably died of laughter. Ugh, I find it so sickening yet at the same time, I can't help but find it extremely attractive.

I know why, of course. Because it's Nessie. Because I find her amazing, even when she's sucking the life out of an animal.

Man, I'm so whipped. I really am. And she doesn't even have to _do_ anything! It's like I'm magnetized to her. I mean, I welcome it completely, but having thoughts like this makes me realize that I'm just altogether absolutely and utterly crazy about her.

Nessie's disruption startles the rest of the elk, but only now are they starting to run so they can escape. She was so quick that the animal only suffered a couple of seconds, and now the remainder of the herd doesn't stand a chance. I take this as my opportunity to satisfy my own hunger and charge toward one of the largest in the crowd.

We complete our hunt in under ten minutes. Since the elk are so large, they're not the fastest runners, which makes catching them so easy. Once we clear almost the whole herd, it seems as if both of us are satisfied.

I look over at her, somewhat surprised that her white dress is entirely clean and there's not a trace of blood anywhere on her. It makes me think back to when she first started hunting and how she was extremely messy. I chuckle to myself, receiving a curious look from Nessie in return. She tilts her head to the side, her bangs shadowing her face. Laughing, she raises one eyebrow. "What? Do I have bloodstains on my teeth or something?"

I shake my head, sticking my tongue out and laughing the way I do when I'm not human. I want to phase back so I can actually speak to her, but in midst of the excitement that I get when we race, I forgot to properly remove my clothes and tie them to my ankle. Nessie, because she knows me so well, notices this right away.

"Come on," she says, beckoning me to follow her after giving my head a quick stroke (which she does all the time when I'm phased into a wolf, and it absolutely drives me _insane_, in a good way though). "Let's head back to the main house and get you something to change into."

We reach the house pretty quickly. Nessie runs inside to retrieve a pair of my shorts and sneakers, and I wait out front because I can't even fit through the door in the state that I'm in. It was her idea for me to keep some spare clothes at her family's house because my phasing right out of them, shredding each garment to pieces, was becoming a frequent occurrence lately. Since we usually always hang out at her place, keeping a couple pairs of shorts, shirts, and shoes there seemed like the most logical thing to do.

I can hear her talking to people in the house, picking up the voices of Alice and Jasper, her aunt and uncle. There's a shrill laugh, probably from the pixie, and then Nessie emerges from the house carrying a pair of denim shorts, a white t-shirt, and another pair of my old sneakers. She sets them in front of me.

"I'll be over by the stream behind the house when you're finished," she says to me. "It's such a nice day out...and really warm, too! I need to cool off after all that hunting."

I nod as she turns and walks toward the back of the house. She sneaks a quick glance over her shoulder at me, smiles, and I feel my heart skip a beat. I set off into the woods, phase back to my human self, then put on my clothes faster than you can say 'hopeless lovesick pup.' As I head over to the stream, my thoughts race back to the ones I was having earlier today about imprinting. How much did Nessie really know? Did she realize I was going to be in the her life for good, that there was no force that could ever tear me away from her?

Nessie and the stream are now in my view. She's sitting beside the body of water, leaning on her elbows with her face stretched up toward the sun. It's a rare day for the tiny, almost nonexistent town of Forks. Normally it's covered by a constant cloud of rain, but today, in the middle of July, there's not a cloud in the sky. Nessie loves these days. Unlike the rest of her family, who're full vampires and sparkle in the sunlight (I know, _sparkle_, how gay is that?), she glows. It's actually one of the most astonishing things I've ever seen in my entire life, next to Nessie herself, and every time her skin beams the way it does, I fall just a little bit harder for her if that's even possible.

She hears me approaching and turns in my direction, smiling. I return the smile and give her a little wave before I sit down next to her, the sun beating down on both of us. I sigh, taking in my surroundings, content with almost everything in my life at the moment. Almost is the keyword.

I'm racking my brain, wondering if I should ask her what it is she exactly knows about imprinting. I find it funny how it never really mattered to me, just as long as she knew there was something special about our relationship. But I guess once my feelings for her changed, then it began to mean something.

"What are you thinking, Jake?" Nessie breaks me away from my thoughts. "You've been really quiet today. It's got to be something other than the fact that you're tired, right?" She picks at the grass, looking at me with concern. Her hand slowly makes its way towards mine. _You know you can talk to me, I'll listen._

Her touch sends a surge of electricity through my entire body. I wish I could just entwine my fingers through hers and lay here in the grass with her on this perfect summer afternoon without a care in the world, but unfortunately life's not always that fair. Especially for me, in that case, where it always seems to be playing games and finding ways to twist around my happiness.

I exhale sharply. Well, here goes nothing.

"Ness," I begin, knowing that this conversation has potential to change everything there is between us. "How much do you know about imprinting?"

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There you go! Let me know what you all think. Chapter two is currently in progress so if there's good feedback, it'll be up pretty soon. Thanks for your time everyone =)


	2. Saved By the Bloodsucker

Hey again! Well, the last chapter didn't get much feedback at all (thank you very much, **hotmessz**, for your review, and thank you to all of those who read!) but that's not going to discourage me. I'm mostly writing this for myself, to use my love for writing to create a story about my favorite Twilight couple, and I'm posting it to share with others. Hopefully this chapter will do a lot better, haha.

With all the school work I have, I'm really surprised at how fast this chapter was written, but hey...the faster the better! =)

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't, in any way, have any rights to _Twilight_. It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own the title, "Rough Roads Leads to the Stars." It belongs to Shane Henderson of Promise of Redemption.

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Rough Road Leads to the Stars

by Eternally Summer

Chapter Two: Saved By the Bloodsucker

"Ness, how much do you know about imprinting?"

I think the question catches her off guard because she sits up straight and runs a hand through her hair. On that hand I notice the promise bracelet I made and gave to her for her first Christmas. Everyday since then she's worn it, and seeing it on her wrist all the time makes me just a little bit warmer inside (if that's even possible, being that my body temperature is about one hundred-eight degrees).

She stares into the woods for a moment, almost as lost in her thoughts as I probably am, before turning to me, shrugging. "Well by the tone of your question, I guess not as much as I should." She pauses for a moment, then continues. "I don't really know, my parents just told me that when one of your kind imprints, it's a bond like no other. They said I'm very special to you and that you'll always protect me, like my own personal body guard." She giggles at her last comment, the musical sound echoing around us. I shift my weight a little in the grass.

"But," she adds, holding up a finger, "There's more, isn't there? I know it; I can _feel_ it. Please, tell me Jake...What don't I know about imprinting?"

I honestly don't know how to put it in words. I've never had to explain it to anyone before, except for this one time when Bella had asked me during a time way before this was all happening. I couldn't really tell her much. I never experienced it up until Nessie was born, but even now it's still something that's hard to describe. Keeping my gaze locked to the ground, anywhere but Nessie's eyes, I decide to give it my best try.

"Imprinting is...difficult," I explain. "It's uncontrollable, pretty rare, and it happens when you least expect it. You can't choose who you imprint on either. All it takes is just one look into their eyes and then bam, you're sucked in." I hold my breath as I recall the moment where I imprinted. Just like it was yesterday, I can feel the pull of my body towards Nessie's. It's like being absorbed into a black hole; there's no way of escaping it, and you're so far down that the only direction you want to go is even further below. "When you do imprint though, it's kind of like your world revolves around that person. You live to protect them, to keep them safe and happy. There's not a single force out there that can so much as even weaken the tie you have to that person. You be whatever they want you to be. It can either be like best friends, a sibling relationship, or even–"

"Love?" My head snaps up in alarm at how fast she finishes my sentence. It was almost a little too fast. I swallow the invisible lump in my throat, a little relieved that I don't have to explain that part to her at least. "Well, yeah, if you wanna put it that way."

Nessie shakes her head slowly, staring at me in what looks like awe. She quickly licks her lips before speaking again, a habit I noticed she developed about two years ago. "Wow," she breathes. "That's...amazing. To center your life around one person just by looking at them...That's really powerful. I'm guessing in Sam's case, his imprinting on Emily grew into love? And what about Quil with little Claire? He feels like a brother to her, I'm sure."

I'm a little surprised at how she remembers the stories I've told her about my friends back at La Push, but despite it I nod, hoping she won't ask me about my imprint on her. If she does, what would I do? Lie and say that I strictly only see her as a sister and nothing more? Nessie _knows_ I love her because we used to tell each other all the time. Back then was a different kind of love though. I loved her like she was my own sister, my own blood-bound relative. Over the years, however, it developed into something so stronger, so intensely overpowering that I sometimes find it hard to believe that such feelings are even possible to have. Do I have the courage to set them aside and tell her the complete opposite of what's true for the sake of my possibly suffering another heartbreak?

"What about you?" she asks quietly after what seems like an eternity of silence. I look at her from the corner of my eye and notice she has her knees brought to her chest, her arms enveloping her body. Her eyes are fixed on the ground as she continues, her voice now just above a whisper, "What's the intensity of your imprint on me?"

I have no idea what to say. In all the countless numbers of ways I envisioned confessing my love to Nessie, at no time did I ever dream of it being this blunt. _Well, Nessie, the intensity of my imprint on you used to be more of a sibling relationship. Now, calling it love would be an understatement._ I never imagined it playing out this...boring and straightforward.

So I guess this is it. It's now or never. This is the moment I've been waiting for, the moment that can either make me the most luckiest and happiest living creature in the whole entire universe, or the complete opposite.

"Well...it's–"

"Renesmee," a stern voice behind us says. Right away I know exactly who it is, but I turn around anyway, only to see Edward approaching us. His mouth is set in a hard line, which isn't a good sign at all, and I suddenly realize that he was probably listening in on not only the conversation Nessie and I were just having, but my thoughts as well. Crap.

"Oh! Hello, Daddy," Nessie says nervously. She gets up, brushing off the back of her dress, then glides over to Edward and gives him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "How's your day been?"

He returns her kiss by placing one gently on her forehead, which reminds me of how I used to do that to her when she was smaller. It was a little hello and goodbye thing between us that eventually ended once she got a little too old for it to be considered anything but platonic. "It's been well, honey," Edward responds. "But could you please do me a favor and help your mother with something back at the cottage? She simply won't accept my help."

Odd. Since Bella was made into one of them, the only thing she needed help with was holding herself back from ripping me to shreds when she found out about me imprinting on Nessie, and when she found out the nickname I gave her. I almost laugh at the memory, remembering how furious and difficult she was with it all at first. Thank God that changed quickly.

Oh, right. Edward's probably sending Nessie away so he can talk to me privately. Like a father to the boy who's about to take his daughter out on a date for the first time, except in this case it's much worse. Edward's going to talk to me about the fact that I _love_ his daughter more than I've ever loved anyone in my whole life, and it's to the point where leaving it as simply an extremely strong friendship just can't be an option anymore. And I know he's not very happy with that.

Nessie nods to her father, her curls bouncing on her shoulders. "Sure Daddy, no problem." She turns to me. "I'll be right back, Jake."

I grin. "No need to rush, I'm not going anywhere." _Ever_, I add in my head.

I hear Edward draw in a frustrated breath at my last thought. Shit, I did it again. Can I ever get privacy in my own head these days?! No, wait, I already know the answer to that: no. Sheesh.

As Edward and I both watch Renesmee sail into the woods, we turn to look at each other.

"Jacob," he says, finally acknowledging my presence out loud after a moment of us just glaring at one another.

"Edward," I reply.

He clears his throat. "I suppose you may have already figured out why I sent Renesmee to Bella. I would like to talk to you about an important topic, if you could spare a few minutes of your time for me."

I cross my arms over my chest as I feel the air thicken with tension. "Okay, fine. What is it?"

Edward sighs before he speaks, and I brace myself for whatever he's about to say. "Jacob," he starts, "I never have, nor ever will, understand imprinting. These past few years I've been watching you intently, trying to figure it out, and even being able to read your thoughts..." He shakes his head. I have no idea where he's going with this. "I _still_ cannot grasp the strength of your feelings for my daughter. To be completely honest, when I listen to your thoughts, I almost feel...overwhelmed. I get overwhelmed with your emotions, at how every thought you have revolves around her. I've never seen anything like it. My love for Bella, my undying love for her almost seems minute in comparison. I find it fascinating how you've held in your passion for Renesmee for this long. With all of it built up inside of you, I'm surprised you haven't burst yet."

I don't believe what he's telling me. Where were the threats? The warnings? The 'if-you-ever-lay-so-much-as-a-finger-on-her's? I hold up a hand. "Wait a sec, Edward. What are you trying to say here?"

He sighs again. I can't tell the tone of it, but it sounds almost like defeat. "What I'm trying to say, Jacob, is don't be foolish. Don't play around with Renesmee's feelings. She may have the mind and physique of an eighteen year-old, but remember she's still very young. She's only experienced a small fraction of what you have in your entire life so far. You know absolutely well that I can read her thoughts, and I do know how she feels, but I am not going to be the one to tell you. That's up to her when the time comes.

"And to answer your questions, I'm not going to threaten you, and I'm not going to lecture you. As I said once to you when Renesmee was born, you are like a brother to me. You put the lives of yourself and your pack at risk just to save my family, which is why there is no other person in this world I could trust Renesmee with other than you. Yes, I was hesitant about this at first because I did not feel you were responsible enough, but after seeing the way you two interact together, and seeing how...natural it is, I've come to the conclusion that I have accepted it. I am giving you my blessing. But just know that if you do anything thing to hurt her, one little thing that makes even a single tear fall from her beautiful eyes, you are in trouble. Not only from me, but from everyone else in this family that loves her almost as much as I do."

I can barely move. I am in complete shock at what Edward just said, but one sentence in particular stands out to me. I could care less about the fatherly warning he gave me. He's giving me his _blessing_? Does that mean...?

"No, Jacob," he continues, answering my internal question. "What I said doesn't mean anything. I am simply giving you my blessing to let Renesmee know how you feel, and I'm just looking out for her in case this ends up in your favor."

_In case_ this ends up in my favor? Does that mean Nessie isn't sure about how she feels? I begin to rub the back of my neck, unsure of what to say to Edward. He can already read my thoughts, so there's no point in speaking aloud, but I do anyway.

"Er, thanks, I guess."

Edward nods once and then I remember something he said, something that I know will never happen, but I want to clarify it with him.

"You know I would never, _ever_ hurt Nessie," I say. "That's just physically impossible for me to do." It feels weird, verbally explicating all of my feelings, especially to Edward when he knows almost every single thought I've ever had about her already. Despite this though, it feels kind of good; like a big weight is being lifted out of my chest. It's as if the words were there, coiled together in my stomach, then slowly began to rise and force their way out of my mouth. I continue, "Because she's my imprint, I'm whoever she wants me to be. If she wants me to just be her best friend, then I'll be that. If she wants me to be like her brother, I'll be her brother. And if for some crazy reason she wants me to be more than all that, to be the person she wants to share her life with, then I'll sure as hell be that. But no matter what, she'll never feel anything less than loved when she's with me. I swear this on my whole life, Edward."

Edward's eyes are closed, a smirk playing across his face. "I know, Jacob," he says. "I know it all too well. I said that though because I feel that as Renesmee's father, it is my duty to tell you. You see, most fathers get a full eighteen years of being the only man in their daughters' lives. And although I love Renesmee with all of my being for who she is, and even though I could not even _imagine_ if she was someone else, I just wish I could have had as long as those other fathers. These past six years were the fastest out of all the ones I've previously lived through. Just seeing her grow up so quickly..."

At this point I don't think Edward is necessarily talking to me, but rather just thinking out loud. It's a little strange for me, because I'm the last person he would ever say something like this to...but maybe it's because it's Nessie. Maybe it's the fact that we're both two men in her life that love her unconditionally. Ironically, it's almost like it was almost seven years ago, but instead of Nessie, it was Bella. Our conversation was a lot different than this though.

"Funny you should compare this to that," Edward notes.

I sigh. "Yeah, well, hopefully this ends differently," I respond.

Once again Edward nods, but this time there's a look in his eyes. A look implying that knows something I don't know. I lock my gaze with him for a moment, hard, before a scent tickles my nose and my attention is drawn elsewhere. Nessie.

"Daddy!" she laughs, emerging from the forest and into the clearing. "Momma didn't need help with anything, she was just reading a book."

"Forgive me, sweetheart," Edward apologizes, the look in his eyes now soft and completely erased of whatever he was thinking before. "I suppose she handled it before you got there."

"That's fine, I don't mind," she says cheerfully as she reaches us. She's standing close to me, our arms occasionally brushing, and I'm trying to do everything I can to maintain my composure, my conversation with Edward beginning to sink in.

"I think I'm going to head back there myself," Edward announces. He places a kiss on Nessie's forehead like he did earlier and then nods to me, "Jacob," before disappearing like a bullet into the forest in the direction of the cottage.

Well, that whole thing was something I didn't see coming today.

I feel Nessie take my hand in hers, then suddenly I images of our earlier conversation flood through my mind, along with a feeling of confusion. I sigh.

"How about we head over to First Beach? We might as well take advantage of this weather while it lasts." That's a complete lie. Nessie and I go to the beach rain or shine, and I scowl at myself in my head for being such a coward. But I need to say anything that will get her to think about something else, anything but where our conversation was about to head. After talking with Edward, I'm definitely not ready to pick up from before.

Nessie's face falls a little bit and she releases my hand. I immediately regret not continuing our talk because it's what she wants, but it was my gut reaction. _Good job, Jake._

"You're right," she says, giving me a small smile. "The sun will probably be gone by tomorrow. We shouldn't take it for granted today."

I look at her, my Nessie. Her skin is glowing again in the sunlight, her bronze curls glimmering. At this moment I finally see how fragile she really is. How, despite her being half vampire, she's also human; partially breakable.

After a second of silence, I decide that I should lighten the mood. I start jogging to the woods, remembering that I have to tie my clothes to my ankle this time before I phase. "I'll race ya!" I call over my shoulder to her, knowing she can't deny my challenge. She laughs.

"Alright, if you feel like losing again!"

In the woods I undress, wrap my clothes around my ankle, and shift into my other self. I trot back to the clearing, but Nessie has already darted off. Like a cheetah, but a thousand times faster.

I chuckle to myself and begin to run, after the only girl I'll ever love.

* * *

I love Edward and Jake's conversation! I feel like he needed a say in the whole thing, especially because he knows exactly what's going since he can read Jake and Nessie's thoughts. Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter and tell me what you think. The next will be up as soon as possible!


	3. Like Hell I'm Going to Let This Happen

Hey everyone! Sorry about not updating for over a week...I had a little more homework than usual, and I haven't been feeling that well lately. But chapter three's here so it's all good now! =) Special thanks to **hotmessz** and **samsjazz** for reviewing! This chapter is where the story finally begins to start, as the last two chapters were like an introduction to show where Jake and Nessie stand in terms of their relationship. Like I've said in past author's notes, all criticism is welcome because writing is basically the career path I want to follow. Thanks, and I hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't, in any way, have any rights to _Twilight_. It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own the title, "Rough Roads Leads to the Stars." It belongs to Shane Henderson of Promise of Redemption.

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Rough Road Leads to the Stars

by Eternally Summer

Chapter Three: Like Hell I'm Going to Let This Happen

I grip the wrench firmly, moving it up and down, hearing the _click-click_ of the bolt as I tighten it. Behind me an old radio is crackling out Journey, and I tap my foot to it as I work. I hear rain pelting against the roof of the garage but rather than distracting me, it's actually soothing.

It's about one o'clock in the afternoon on a pretty boring day. Sure, right now I'm keeping myself busy, doing one of the things I love most, but there's an emptiness inside of me as I do it. At the moment I wish I was somewhere else, with a certain someone, doing absolutely anything.

I wish I was with Nessie.

Right now she's somewhere in southern Canada, hunting with her parents. Every so often, as a type of family boding thing I guess, they go on hunting trips, just the three of them. I know I shouldn't be jealous of the time her parents get to spend with her, but I can't help it; I want to be with Nessie every second of the day. Edward heard this thought of mine once and simply laughed, but said nothing else about it. Probably because he isn't going to let it to happen. Stupid bloodsucker.

I wipe my hands free of dried up oil as I think back to a few days ago when Nessie and I discussed imprinting. After we were, to my relief, interrupted by Edward, we went over to First Beach in my attempt to get her mind off the whole conversation. From Nessie's playfulness and cheery attitude, I'm assuming it worked, but then again she could have been just acting that way so I wouldn't pester her to tell me what was wrong. Whenever something is bothering Nessie, which is rare, I don't leave her alone until she tells me what it is. I know, call me a hypocrite, because I hate when people do it to me, but because she's my Nessie I want her to always be happy and not have to worry about anything. I guess I'm just selfish like that.

We had fun at the beach. It was pretty busy, probably because of all the tourists driving up from Seattle, but that didn't stop us from acting as if there was no one else around, like we always do when we're together. We sat close enough to the water so that when it rolled up on the shore it brushed our toes, but at one point there was a big wave that crashed and came up pretty quickly, washing over me and soaking me completely. I got up, sand sticking to my wet skin, and heard a familiar melody behind me. I turned around to see Nessie standing there, untouched by the water, laughing hysterically. I laughed too and as I did, I started to chase her down the beach (unfortunately we had to stay at normal speed because of all the people around), eventually tackling her into the sand. We laughed like maniacs, in return receiving a lot of glares from all the others around us, probably because they thought we were out of our minds, but we didn't care. Everything was just so perfect and I didn't want it to end. I never want my time with Nessie to end.

I smile at our trip to the beach, now a memory. The song in the background has changed from Journey to Aerosmith and I begin to whistle along with the music. Just thinking about Nessie suddenly elevates my mood, and now I can't wait for her to return from her hunting trip with Bella and Edward any longer. I put down the wrench and wipe my hands again, then close the hood of the car. I turn off the radio and pull down on the string to switch off the one little lightbulb that somehow manages to light up the entire garage before I head outside. The rain beats down against my shoulders and back, drenching my clothes, but it doesn't really bother me because they're coming off anyway so I can phase

Once I'm shifted into a wolf I sprint across the road and into the woods. Under the canopy of trees the rain lets up a bit, but the thunder I suddenly hear in the distance tells me that the storm is far from being over. I run over the soaked wet leaves, splashing muddy water all over myself, with images of Nessie swirling in my head. Just a few more minutes and I'll be at the cottage, and hopefully she'll be too.

_Can you get your head out of the clouds for just a second?_ a familiar voice intrudes on my thoughts. I do, reluctantly.

_What do you want, Leah?_

_We need to have a meeting with Sam's pack._

This grabs my attention. _How do you know?_

I can hear the hesitation in Leah's voice as she says, _Paul stopped by my house yesterday. We started talking and kind of agreed on a lot of things. Then I guess he talked to Sam about it and Sam went looking for you, but you've been so _preoccupied_ with other priorities in your life lately that he couldn't get a hold of you._

_What kinds of 'things' were you and Paul agreeing on that would make Sam need to talk to me?_

There's a long pause. Obviously it's something Leah doesn't think I'll be too happy with. _What kinds of things were you agreeing on?_ I repeat, my voice more demanding. More like an Alpha.

_Just stuff...about the Cullens._

I could feel a growl rising in my throat. _What about the Cullens?_

_I'll let Sam talk to you about that_, she replies.

Now my run has slowed to a walk, and I come face to face with the others. Sam, Paul, Jared, Collin, Brady, Quil, Embry, Seth, and Leah, all as wolves. Perfect. They cornered me.

_How did you know I'd be coming this way?_ I ask. This time it was Embry who answered.

_We've been listening for you. Quil, Seth, and I were with Sam and the others. Once we heard you and figured out where you were going, we headed over here because we figured you'd eventually pass by._

_So you stalked me, huh?_

_C'mon, Jake,_ Quil said. _Just talk. Believe me, I'm not happy about this at all either. I'm backing you up one hundred percent._

_Me too!_ Seth added.

I shake my head, ignoring what they're all saying, only wanting to understand what all of us are here for anyway._ Let's phase everyone,_ I tell them so we can communicate with Sam and his pack. When they see my pack and I spread out in different directions for privacy, they get the message and do the same.

I hear my heart pounding loudly in my ears. I have no idea what this could be about. Were there other vampires in the area? If there were, I would've definitely heard something about it from Nessie already though, or overheard it while we were hanging out around the main house. That can't be it then. Judging from Leah's voice when she told me about this meeting though, I have a bad feeling it has something to do with me, too.

Of course I'm the last one to make it back. Now fully clothed and human, they're all looking at me, Seth and Quil with sympathetic eyes, the others with expressionless ones. Not trying to meet any of their gazes, I look straight at Sam.

"Hey, Jacob," he says after I don't say anything. Sam knows very well that I'm not going to like what he's about to say to me, so he's going to try to talk me through it calmly, as if it's all going to be completely harmless. I know Sam Uley well enough to know how he talks to people.

I cut to the chase. "What's this about?"

Despite the fact we're in the woods, the rain has gotten harder and louder.

"Look Jacob," Sam starts, holding up a hand as if he needs to defend himself. "Just hear us out, before you start jumping down our throats, okay?"

_Us?_ Suddenly I realize that Paul, Jared, Collin, Brady, even Embry and Leah, are all standing behind him. I look around me and see Seth and Quil. So this is about taking sides now, I'm assuming. Great.

"Sure, sure," I say, getting annoyed. "Go ahead, talk."

Sam intakes a deep breath and releases it sharply before speaking again. "Believe me, I've given this a lot of thought, but it seems that it's what will best for everyone. I've taken your situation into consideration too, don't think I haven't, but outweighing the pros and cons...Well, there are more cons if things stay the way they are now."

I take a step forward. He's really testing my patience right now. "Spit it out, Sam."

"Calm down, Jacob," he says, the Alpha coming out in his voice. Only problem is, he isn't my Alpha, but it's just a force of habit with him. "Listen to me, I told you to hear us out before you start interrupting...The Cullens have to leave. We–"

"No." I don't even bother asking why. I don't care why they all want them to leave, they're not. They can't.

"Would you at least listen to our reasons before you start making decisions for other people?" Sam, too, is getting impatient. He sighs. "The Cullens have become our allies over the years, and in your case you found your mate in one of them. But their presence is interfering with our lives; because they're here, our shape shifting genes are still active. We can't age, Jacob, and our imprints are getting older by the second. If they leave soon, it'll only take a few weeks for our phasing to stop, then we can lead normal lives with them. This is our purpose, to get rid of the vampires, so our loved ones can be safe and then we can go on and live like everyone else. Not to keep them here."

My hands instinctively ball into fists at my sides. Anger is boiling up inside me, trembling my body. I feel my face flush with heat. "There's no trouble anymore. We solved that six years ago. No one is telling you to keep phasing. You're supposed to be able to stop when you want to."

"I know, I know," Sam says, beginning to sound frustrated. "But that's only when vampires aren't around, and even though they are no threat to us in any way, their coven is too large. Believe me, I've tried not to phase anymore, and then when I think it's stopped, I get angry and it happens."

"Try harder then."

Leah steps forward from behind Sam, throwing her hands up in the air. "Just accept it, Jacob!" she yells, her voice loud enough to drown out the thunder from the storm. "They _can't_ be here anymore. We'd all like to go on with our lives, you know. There are other things we'd like to accomplish, but we can't because of this! I'd like go to college, get a degree, and actually have a _job_. But no, you–"

"I thought you were on _my _side in all this?" I snap at her. Leah winces, then I see her eyes trail to Sam for a second, then back to me. "Yeah, well, if I was the only one who this affected, I would keep quiet. But h...they're just as unhappy as I am–" she gestures to Sam and his pack, along with Embry "–and when others are feeling hurt, I just can't ignore it. Think about it for a second, Jacob, and try to realize that you're the only one who's happy now."

"I'm pretty happy," Seth announces proudly.

"Be quiet, Seth. I wasn't speaking to you," Leah snaps back.

"Just putting my opinion out there."

I'm not as shocked as I am annoyed about Leah turning on me. Around when Nessie was born, and during the years after, she's been my second-in-command. Six years ago we finally put our differences aside and got along better, and I thought that she wouldn't be miserable anymore. Then lately she's been acting irritable and moody, and I guess this explains it. But she's never voiced any discontent about it before, so I just assumed she got over Sam and being the only female wolf and gotten used to it all. Now though, seeing how she eyed Sam as she told me that he and the others are just as unhappy as she is, I can see that this is more about his distress than her own.

"Emily is now twenty-seven," Sam says, distance in his voice. "And I'm still twenty-two."

"Rebecca's twenty-eight," Paul adds about my older sister.

"And Kim is twenty-four," Jared echoes.

I roll my eyes. "Enough. I get it."

"Well," Quil begins quietly behind me. "Claire's only nine. There's still a few more years before–"

"We know. And we're sorry," Sam tells him, a sympathetic tone to his voice. "But this has gone on for too long." He turns to me. "Jacob, please understand. I know Nessie is your imprint, and all you want to do is be with her, but think about how we all feel. We want to be with our mates just as much as you want to be with yours. And like Leah said, we'd all like to go on with our lives, to move on forward and live normally. Maybe there's a way this can be sorted out, but for now I think the Cullens have to relocate. I'm going to talk to Carlisle about this, and I'm sure he'll be very sensible about it."

"No," I grit through my teeth. My body is now trembling uncontrollably; I feel like I may phase at any moment.

Sam growls. "Jacob, you're being completely unreasonable about this."

"No, Sam, I think you're the one who's being unreasonable," I fight back. "Everything's been going great. Why all of the sudden are you trying to ruin it?"

"Great for you, maybe," Embry says. "But c'mon Jake, we graduated from high school almost five years ago. Haven't you ever thought about maybe wanting to go away to college and actually start making a life for yourself?"

I'm a little ticked off by this. I'd like to think I have more of a life than Embry does at the moment. "I already know how I want to spend the rest of my life."

Sam shakes his head. "It's no use guys," he says to Embry, Leah, Paul, and Jared. "He's not going to agree to this–"

"Like hell I am." There's no way.

"–so we're just going to talk to Carlisle and the others, whether Jacob likes it or not," he continues, ignoring me. "They have as much a say in this as we all do, and if they decide they don't want to leave, then we'll respect that. But it won't hurt to bring it up."

"Sam, don't," I insist. At this point now I think I'm desperate, but I try not to show any hint of it in my voice as I speak. "You and I both know that once this is brought to Carlisle's attention, he'll have the Cullens out of here right away."

He shrugs. "The sooner the better, then."

My face falls as the reality of my own words sinks in. I know for a fact that once the Doc and his wife learn about Sam and the others being unhappy, they'll do whatever they can to fix it, even if it means leaving Forks.

"We're sorry," Sam says, and I know he really means it. He's just thinking about what's best for everyone else, but right now I'm not going to forgive him for it. Because what's best for all of them is going to possibly take away what's best for me...Nessie. Being apart from her even now makes me feel incomplete, and if they leave...I can't even imagine what my life will be like. It'll be pointless, with no purpose or substance.

But if I can somehow get to Edward and Bella and warn them about this before Sam gets to the Doc, maybe they can talk him out of it. Out of all of them besides Nessie, I think Bella's going to put up a pretty good fight about this.

I set my mouth into a hard line, finished with hearing whatever they have to say, now determined to do all that I can to stop it. "Well fine then," I tell them. I want to show them that I'm not nervous or threatened by this, but instead confident that things will stay the way they are. Which I am, a little, at least in the fact that Bella will most likely feel the same way as I do. "We'll just see if you guys get what you want. But believe me, it's not going to be as easy as you think."

And with that I head off, leaving with the last word said as I continue on my route to the cottage. Without even realizing it, I've phased back into a wolf, leaving my torn clothes behind me as I stride deeper into the woods. I'm at my maximum fury right now, the anger making the fear and little confidence I had seconds earlier disappear.

As I get closer and closer to the cottage, a scent tickles my nose, shooting adrenaline through my body. I grow anxious as I pick up my pace and go as fast as I can, the smell growing stronger with every step I take.

Finally I reach it, and to no surprise I see Edward standing outside. There's a loud clap of thunder above in the sky, but it isn't loud enough for him to not clearly hear what's going on in my head. His face is blank.

"I thought this might eventually come up," he says.

* * *

I'm probably not correct with the ages of Emily, Kim, and Rachel, but they were just estimates. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and unfortunately I can't really say when the next will be out, but definitely in less than two weeks! And reviews would be great please, thanks! =)


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